Without a word to Fang Fang, He Zhilan accepted the snacks, muttered a faint thank you, and turned away.
After the incident at the restaurant during the day, He Zhilan was not only angry with Gu En, but also disappointed in Fang Fang.
She was holding a hot cup of cocoa, her sight partially obstructed by the tray making her unable to see her feet. But, Fang Fang was right in front of her. There was no way Fang Fang could have missed Gu En intentionally tripping her. Yet, Fang Fang did not say a word of warning.
Even if they had only been colleagues and roommates for half a month, even a stranger would have given a warning under such circumstances. But Fang Fang? She chose to look the other way.
He Zhilan’s coldness was a kind of torture for Fang Fang, who bit her lip and softly whispered an apology.
Fang Fang really didn’t understand why at that moment, even though she had wanted to warn He Zhilan, and the words were even on the tip of her tongue, she had swallowed them back down, ultimately deciding to stand by and let He Zhilan bear the brunt of the accident.
Even when He Zhilan was brought back to the restaurant by John and Lin Chan after getting injured, she felt a twisted sense of satisfaction seeing He Zhilan’s injured hand. But at this moment, watching He Zhilan clumsily eat the pastries with a spoon because her hand was injured and she was grimacing in pain, Fang Fang couldn’t help but feel guilty.
He Zhilan ignored Fang Fang. After eating, she went back to her bed. The next day, when Lin Chan came to pick her up, she collected her belongings and left directly.
Inside the train station, Lin Chan, taking advantage of being a man, protected He Zhilan all the way onto the train. Before leaving, he instructed He Zhilan to tell He Teng everything about her hand injury, and not to keep it a secret for Gu En.
As for this matter, He Zhilan did not need Lin Chan’s instruction. She was not going to suffer this loss alone.
Lin Chan was also worried about He Zhilan traveling alone by train. So, after the passengers sharing He Zhilan’s compartment arrived, he continued to offer them food and cigarettes, requesting the elderly couple to take care of He Zhilan before reluctantly leaving.
On the eve of the New Year, the train was filled with people eager to get home for the celebration. Conversations revolving around topics like "Did you make a lot of money this year?" and "Are your children doing well?" brought warmth to He Zhilan’s heart. She too, thought of home and her brother, He Teng, who was serving in the military.
By the time she got off the train, it was already past noon. With her luggage slung over her wrist, He Zhilan looked around at the exit and immediately spotted He Teng’s figure.
"Bro!" exclaimed He Zhilan joyfully as she sprinted towards him. "How come you’re the one picking me up? I thought it would be one of your junior comrades!"
"Well, I happened to be free." Although He Teng’s face was expressionless, a faint hint of a smile could still be seen in his eyes. He brushed off the snow on He Zhilan’s head before bending down to carry her luggage, and that was when he noticed the bandaged hand of He Zhilan reeking of medicine. "What happened?" he asked.
Upon mentioning this, He Zhilan instantly became furious. She thrust her bandaged hands to show He Teng, saying, "It was Gu En! Yesterday at the restaurant, she and her friend tripped me. I fell, and two cups of hot cocoa fell onto my hands! It hurt terribly! Luckily, it was treated quickly, so it didn’t blister. What’s worse, Gu En actually had the nerve to say it was just a joke and that she didn’t do it intentionally!"